1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a structure for driving an acousto-optic element array, a display apparatus using the acousto-optic element array, and a method for driving the acousto-optic element array.
2. Description of the Related Art
An acousto-optic effect is an effect in which an optical characteristic of a medium is transformed by a sound wave or an ultrasonic wave. A light beam, which is incident on a medium having a transformed optical characteristic, is differently modulated and emitted according to the degree of transformation. For example, a refractive index of the medium may be periodically changed by the acousto-optic effect. Such a medium may operate as a phase grating to diffract incident light. At this time, the intensity or the diffraction angle of the diffracted light may be changed by adjusting the intensity or frequency of the sound wave or the ultrasonic wave applied to the medium. Therefore, it is possible to implement an optical modulator that modulates an amplitude of a light beam by using an acousto-optic effect, or a scanner that deflects a light beam.
Extensive research has been conducted to develop display technologies using an optical modulator that modulates an amplitude of a light beam by using an acousto-optic effect, or a scanner that deflects a light beam.
A three-dimensional (3D) image display apparatus, which has been currently commercialized, uses binocular parallax between two eyes of a viewer. The 3D image display apparatus provides a left eye and a right eye of the viewer with a left-eye image and a right-eye image having different viewpoints, allowing the viewer to experience a three-dimensional effect. Such a 3D image display apparatus may be classified as a glass type 3D image display apparatus, which requires special glasses, and a non-glass type 3D image display apparatus, which requires no glasses.
Research has been conducted to develop a holographic 3D image display apparatus that displays a more natural 3D image. A light beam may be considered as a wave with intensity information and phase information. Holographic technology may display an image by controlling the phase of light and the intensity of light.
Research also has been conducted to develop a structure for driving an acousto-optic element array used in an ultra high definition television (UHDTV), a super high vision (SHV) television, and in the generation of a hologram.